Tubing cleaner



June 8, 1943. c. E. BLACKBURN TUB ING CLEANER Filed Oct. 7, 1941 Fue. 5

lolllllll IO NVEH'IOR C LAUDE E. BLACKBURN ATTORNEY Paten ted June 8, 1843 TUBING CLEANER Claude Earl Blackburn,

The J.

Borger, Tex., assignor to M. Huber-Corporation, corporation of Delaware Borger, Ten, 8.

Application October 7, 1941, Serial No. 413,9

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a tubing cleaner and particularly to a novel apparatus and method of operating the same for preventing and removing accumulations of paraflin and other substances which tend to clog the tubing of an oil well and restrict the flow of oil therethrough.

An oil well, as generally produced, comprises a casing, a string of smaller steel pipe inside the casing and generally known as the tubing, a pump at the bottom of the well and a string of steel rods, commonly referred to as sucker rods, within the tubing and extending down to the pump for operating the pump. The tubing is generally 2 inches in diameter and extends the entire depth of the Well from the surface to the producing oil sand. The sucker rods generally comprise a number of steel rods securely fastened together end to end.

The crude oil, as produced, generally contains paraflin and other substances which tend to congeal and precipitate out of the oil during the passage of the oil through the tubing due to reduction in pressure and cooling of the oil. Such congealed paraflin and similar substances tend to deposit upon the walls of the tubing gradually restricting the flow of oil through the tubing and tending to clog the tubing. The point of accumulation of the parafiin and the like on the tubing will vary with different wells and particularly with different fields.

Numerous methods have been proposed for preventing and removing such accumulations in the tubing of oil wells. It has been proposed to employ paraffin solvents, heat generating chemicals and even steam, but these methods have proved to be expensive, detrimental to the tubing and to have other objectionable features which render them unsatisfactory. It has also been proposed to employ induction heating of the tubing, but this has also proved to be relatively expensive and unsatisfactory.

It has been proposed to employ various types of mechanical devices for removing paraffin and like accumulations from tubings. Some of these devices are designed to be attached to the end of the sucker rods and require rods from the tubing periodically inorder to remove the parafiin. It has also been proposed to attach various types of devices to the sucker rods permanently, which devices are designed to continuously remove the paraflin as it accumulates during the normal operation of the sucker rods. Such latter devices are rather complicated and expensive to produce and to repair. Some of them require separation of the rods so that the devices can be passed over the ends thereof. In some cases, it is even necessary to cut the sucker .rods in order to place the device thereon and then weld the sucker rods together. Obviously, the repairing or replacement of such devices, when pulling of the they become worn or damaged, is an expensive and time consuming operation.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple, inexpensive and eflicient tubing cleaner for oil wells. Another object is to provide a tubing cleaner which can be easily and quickly attached to or removed from the sucker rods without requiring disconnection or cutting of the sucker rods or complete removal of the rods from the tubing. A further object is to provide a simple and inexpensive tubing cleaner which can be easily and quickly attached to the sucker rod at any desired point and which is made up of simple and inexpensive parts which can be readily replaced and repaired. A still further object is to provide an improved method and apparatus for cleaning paraflln and like accumulations from oil well tubing. Other objects are to provide new articles of manufacture. appear hereinafter.

The above and other objects may be accomplished in accordance with my invention which comprises providing a tubing cleaner comprising a thin substantially flat blade and separable fastening means for detachably fastening the blade firmly to a sucker rod intermediate the ends of the rod and which tubing cleaner is adapted to be employed in combination with means for simultaneously rotating and reciprocating the sucker rods.

For a more complete understanding of my invention, the construction of the apparatus and Still other objects will the operation thereof, reference will be made to, the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein like reference characters designate like parts.

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the preferred form of-my tubing cleaner attached to a sucker rod and showing its positionin a tubing, the tubing being shown in section for clearness of illustration.

Figure 2 is a cross section of the parts shown in Figure 1 taken on the line 2-2.

Figure 3 is a detailed view of the elements of .my preferred tubing cleaner in disassembled condition.

Figure 4 is a view similar to that of Figure 1, but showing a less preferred modification of tubing cleaner.

Figure 5- is a cross section shown in Figure 4 and taken on theline 55 of Figure 4.

Figure 6 is another view similar to Figure 1 showing another possible modification of the tubing cleaner of my invention.

Figure 7 is a cross sectional view of Figure 6 taken on the line 1-7 of Figure 6.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, thenumeral I0 designates the conventional oil well tubing. Numeral 12 represents the conventional of the structuresucker rod of which only a portion is shown; It

' will be understood that the sucker rod is made up of a number of individual sections connected together end to end, having the usual bearings and with means provided for operating the sucker rod. Since such structure is well known and conventional, I have not attempted to describe it in detail herein.

In its preferred embodiment, the tubing cleaner of my invention comprises a single edged thin substantially fiat blade 14, having a pair of horizontally spaced apertures, l6, adjacent to each end adapted to receive the threaded ends oflubolts l8 and nuts 20 adapted to be threaded on the ends of the U-bolt for fastening the blade to the U-bolt and clamping the blade to the sucker rod. In assembled position, the U-bolt passes around or straddles the sucker rod with the ends of the U-bolt passing through the apertures l6 and the nuts 20 fastened to the protruding ends of the U-bolt. By tightening the nuts 20, the

blade can be firmly fastened'to the sucker rodj I The blade is so designed that one edge ter' nates close to the inner wall of the tubing and is of suflicient width so as to extend past the sucker rod providing space for the apertures IS.

The blade l4 will generally be made of steel, I

iron or other desired metal having sufllcient strength and rigidity for the purpose. It maybe of any desired length and I have found blades of from 3 to 21 feet in length to be quite satisfactory. In a well, wherein the tubing was 2 inches in diameter, I have successfully employed an iron blade about 21 feet long, 1 inches wide and inch thick. Usually, the blade will have a length substantially equal to the length of the reciprocating stroke.

It has long been the common practice to merely reciprocate the sucker rods. However, devices have been developed and are well known for 'rotating the sucker rod simultaneously with its reciprocation. My tubing cleaner is designed particularly for operation with such mechanism. In operation, the sucker rod is simultaneously rotated and reciprocated. The tubing cleaner of my invention, being firmly attached to the sucker rod, is also simultaneously rotated and reciprocated, whereupon the blade scrapes any accumulated paraffin or similar substances from the tubing. Preferably, the sucker rod and blade are rotated a fraction of a revolution or one and a fraction revolutions with each reciprocating stroke. The parafiin and like materials, removed from the walls of the tubing, is carried upwardly and out of the tubing by the flow of oil.

As shown in the drawing, it will be usual to employ a number of vertically spaced blades staggered at angles of about 90 from each other, so that the blades in any consecutive series of 4 will extend in 4 different horizontal directions toward different walls of the tubing. Adjacent blades will be spaced apart by a distance less than the length of, the reciprocating stroke of the sucker rod so as to insure that the accumulations will be removed from all portions of the tubing.

The tubing cleaner has proved to be very efflcient in operation. It will be apparent that it is simple in construction so that it is inexpensive and easy to manufacture. It is readily attached to and detached from the sucker rod without requiring separation of the sucker rod or removal of the entire sucker rod from the tubing. In the event that any parts become worn or broken,

their repair and replacement is simple and inexpensive. Also, any repairs or replacements can be readily made without disassembling the sucker rod or removing all of the sucker rod from .the tubing. Furthermore, the structure is light in weight so that it does not place toogreat a strain on the sucker rod or its operating mechanism. Still further, the singlethin blades provide substantially no obstruction to the fiow of oil through the tubing.

Various modifications may be made in the blade and the fastening'means therefor and particularly in the fastening means. Various types of separable fastening means, which can be employed to clamp the blade to the sucker rod without requiring disconnection of the sucker rods, will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In Figures 4 and 5 is illustrated a modification of the tubing cleaner of my invention. In this modification, the blade 22 is double edged, both edges extending adjacent to the walls of the tubing and beingoperative for scraping accumulations therefrom. Otherwise, the construction of thi, modification is the same as that illustrated in Figures 1 to'3.- Generally, this double edged blade 22 is less desirable due ,to the greater weight thereof and the greater strain placed upon the sucker rod and its operating mechanism during use.

Figures 6 and 7 illustrate a still further modification of the tubing cleaner of my invention. In this modification, the blade 24 is U-shaped with 1 leg longer to provide a scraping edge adjacent to the wall of the tubing. The shorter leg of this blade 24 extends beyond the sucker rod so that the two legs can be joined by an I-bolt 26 for drawing the two legs toward each other and clamping the sucker rod therebetween. The blade 24, in this modification, must be made of somewhat flexible material so that the two legs can be drawn toward each other for clamping purposes. The modification shown in Figures 6 and 7 will generally be less desirable than that shown in Figures 1 to 3 due to its greater weight and more expensive construction.

It will be noted that the corners of the operating edges of the blades are rounded as at 28 so to prevent such corners from catching on the collars or joints of the tubing.

Still other modifications and variations of the apparatus of my invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, my invention is not to be limited to the specific structure described and shown, but I intend to claim my invention broadly as in the appended claims.

I claim: r

1. In combination with a sucker rod simultaneously reciprocating and rotating-in an oilwell tubing, an oil-well tubing cleaner comprising a thin substantially fiat blade having a vertically extending scraping edge, and separable fastening means for detachably fastening the blade firmly to a sucker rod intermediate the ends of the rod.

- 2. In combination with a sucker rod, simultaneously reciprocating and rotating in an oilwell tubing, a plurality of vertically spaced thin substantially flat blades firmly but detachably fastened to the sucker rod, each blade having a vertically extending scraping edge, and adjacent blades being spaced apart by a distance less than the length of the reciprocating stroke of the sucker rod and being staggered about the rod. CLAUDE EARL BLACKBURN. 

